On Thursday, 22 August, Rostov district court rejected appeals against detention extension of two defendants of Second Simferopol “Hizb ut-Tahrir” case. Shaban Umerov and Riza Izetov will remain in the detention facility until November 15, 2019 as reported by Crimean Solidarity initiative.
“… court ruled to reject attorney’s appeal of the court order issued by Lenin district court in Rostov-on Don on August 12, 2019 in relation to Shaban Umerov and Riza Izetov. Court rules to remain the previous order in force until November 15, 2019”, said in the report.
Previously, on March 27, Russian police forces conducted twenty-six mass searches in the Crimean Tatar houses in the occupied Crimea. They confiscated some literature that, according to the Crimean Solidarity initiative, was placed there by the police itself. Besides books and leaflets, they also confiscated cell phones, tablets, laptops, and passports. The policemen were rude, did not bother to take their shoes off when entering the house and used physical force. Lawyers arriving at the places of searches were not allowed to talk to their clients. As a result, twenty people were charged with links to the illegal in Russia organization “Hizb ut-Tahrir”. On March 28, after another police raid, three more Crimean Tatar activists have been arrested. The whereabouts of another Crimean Tatar, Edem Yayachikov, is currently unknown. The same day, on March 27-28, a Russian court in Crimea sentenced all twenty-three activists to fifteen days in jail. All of them are accused of being linked to the “Hizb ut-Tahrir”. In August, court hearings are held to continue the detention of the defendants of Second Simferopol “Hizb-ut-Tahrir” case. They will remain under arrest until November 14-15, 2019.